Chairperson, Deputy Minister and members, as Gauteng we support the principles and details of the Bill. We see the Bill as an important instrument in providing a holistic approach with regard to meat safety.
In Gauteng, we recently commissioned research pertaining to illegal slaughtering, which seems to be a problem as far as meat hygiene and safety are concerned. Our definition of illegal slaughtering basically refers to the slaughtering of an animal or animals outside the confines of an area designated for such a purpose, and where the process does not comply with stipulations regarding slaughtering as required by law.
Illegal slaughtering puts at variance the interests of environmentalists, health officials, animal rights groups, traditional healers, hunters and ordinary citizens at large, which are consequently at stake.
Speaking of illegal slaughtering immediately evokes in one's mind issues related to poaching and the illegal trade in animal parts. The two represent a form of senseless slaughtering of animals.
Conservationists recently voiced concern over the illegal trade in rhino horns and ivory, as it led to the poaching of animals. Their contention was that this would result in the extinction of rare species and have long-term negative effects on the tourism industry as well as our economy. A moratorium was therefore agreed upon by neighbouring countries. Such trade should be considered illegal, since it leads to the gruesome treatment of animals.
Our research was therefore premised on the understanding that illegal slaughtering is still against the law. The location of abattoirs is still a contentious matter that has effects on the health and safety of communities.
The research revealed the concerns precipitated by illegal slaughtering, which has implications for the environment, health and the humane treatment of animals. These are some of the scenarios we wish to present.
In 1995 in Vereeniging, where residents experienced a scene of illegal slaughtering at a funeral, they were disgusted by the manner in which the animal was being killed, claiming that it was being beaten and hacked with clubs and axes. The SPCA arrived but had no stun gun to render the animal unconscious. The police were then called, but they refused to shoot the animal because in their opinion such a matter was culturally sensitive. Fortunately an old man passing by came to their rescue and killed the animal.
In 1994 a black family had just moved into what was formerly a white neighbourhood. It was immediately after the first democratic elections. They had to slaughter a cow for their cultural feast, but their white neighbours were up in arms against the slaughtering. The family concerned stated vociferously that this was a cultural practice and they were not going to stop it simply because they had moved into a previously white suburb. Police had to be called in to intervene and finally the local authority managed to settle the dispute.
With regard to a farmer who was slaughtering some of his cattle in his back yard to sell in the nearby informal settlement, we found that almost half of the residents had to be treated for unstoppable diarrhoea. Medical reports indicated that they were suffering from food poisoning.
Our support of the Bill is therefore based on it providing a framework to deal with the challenges of illegal slaughtering. The Bill does not prohibit slaughtering for cultural purposes nor restrict slaughtering outside abattoirs. However, it promotes safety through hygienic standards with regard to the end product of the slaughtered animal.
The last crucial point is that this Bill seeks to achieve the promotion of good management practices and the application of hazard analysis at critical control points at slaughter facilities in line with international trends.
As a province we are in the process of putting in place an abattoir rating scheme that will complement this Bill once it is law in order to ensure that those complying with the requirements of the law are incentivised and those in contravention are punished. This will make the law implementable, and not just a paper tiger.
Ha ke hle ke di pome, ke di etse mohatla' kgwiti morena. Etswe le kgomo ha e nye boloko kaofela. [Ditlatse.] [I will stop here, because one cannot say it all. [Applause.]]